Odita Sunday 
By Ewere Okonta
08037383019
eobnewsmedia@gmail.com
www.ewereokontablog.org.ng
Today’s sermon is not for the faint-hearted, the overly religious, or the comfortably complacent. It is for anyone who has ever held a child’s hand, led a team, mentored a youth, or whispered a prayer asking God to “use me.” Because, honestly, many of us want God to use us, but we are still misusing the little kingdoms He has already put in our care, our homes.
Let us talk parenting, leadership, and mentorship; the three stubborn triplets that determine the fate of every society, no matter how loud its politics or how shiny its technology looks.
THE CRISIS: PARENTS WHO WANT OBEDIENT CHILDREN BUT DO NOT MODEL OBEDIENCE
We live in a generation where parents want “well-behaved” children, but every lesson the child learns is coming from TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, and sometimes the streets. A child’s moral compass is competing with influencers who teach “soft life,” “fast money,” and “zero accountability,” while parents are too busy practicing selective leadership; issuing instructions they themselves cannot follow.
You cannot raise disciplined children while living a disorganized life.
You cannot demand respect when you constantly disrespect your spouse.
You cannot preach humility while your child watches you oppress your house-help.
Leadership is not a title; it is a mirror. Kids don’t follow instructions; they follow examples.
MENTORSHIP: EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A MENTOR BUT NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE A LIFE WORTH MIMICKING
Today, we’ve turned mentorship into a hashtag profession.
Everybody is a coach.
Everybody is a consultant.
Everybody is a thought-leader.
Everybody is writing “motivational quotes” on Facebook with grammar they cannot defend under pressure.
True mentorship is not about followers; it is about impact. It is not about having mentees; it is about being someone whose life is safe to imitate.
If your mentee becomes a photocopy of your bad habits, your mentorship is a curse, not a blessing.
THE FAMILY: THE FIRST LEADERSHIP SCHOOL WE’VE ABANDONED
We complain about Nigeria’s leadership failure, but when last did we check the leadership failure happening inside our kitchens and living rooms?
A child grows up watching:
* A father who dominates, not leads
* A mother who endures, not partners
* Parents who fight, but never apologize
* Adults who shout at each other but pray in tongues on Sunday
And we are surprised the child grows up confused?
Home is the rehearsal stage where the national theatre of leadership is perfected.
If the home is chaotic, society will be catastrophic.
PARENTING IN THE INTERNET AGE: WHO IS RAISING OUR CHILDREN?
Let’s be sincere, technology is raising more children today than parents.
The internet is the new elder.
Google is the new pastor.
TikTok is the new mentor.
Netflix is the new storyteller.
And Snapchat streaks are the new emotional validation system.
Yet, parents still believe leadership is about feeding a child and paying school fees.
No, that is sponsorship.
Parenting is mentorship with accountability, communication, and emotional intelligence.
A generation raised by screens will interpret leadership as a performance, not responsibility.
THE LEADERSHIP PARADOX: WE WANT GREAT LEADERS BUT WE ARE NOT RAISING THEM
Every time Nigerians complain about bad leadership, I ask one question:
Where do you think leaders come from; heaven or homes?
Presidents don’t fall from the sky; they grow inside the laps of mothers and the shadows of fathers.
Governors once crawled on the floor of somebody’s parlour.
Senators once cried because someone finished their biscuits.
Pastors once hid behind their mothers’ wrappers.
Leadership is born in childhood but trained through intentional parenting.
TO PARENTS: YOU ARE THE FIRST MENTOR YOUR CHILD WILL EVER KNOW
Before your child meets a pastor, a teacher, a coach, a governor, or a mentor online, they have already studied your leadership. They have memorized your temperament. They have decoded your values.
And here is the controversial truth:
A child you refuse to mentor today will grow up to embarrass you tomorrow.
Or worse, grow up to lead you.
WHAT GOD EXPECTS
Leadership is not just political; it is parental.
Parenting is not just biological; it is spiritual.
Mentorship is not just verbal; it is intentional.
When God blesses you with a child, He is not giving you a dependent
He is giving you a future leader to cultivate.
And if we continue outsourcing that leadership to gadgets, social media trends, dysfunctional schools, and confused society, then we are raising a generation that will know everything but understand nothing.
FIX THE HOME, FIX THE NATION
Nigeria will not change because one leader changes.
Nigeria will change when homes change.
When parents become true leaders, when leaders become true mentors, and when mentors begin to model a life that is worth repeating.
Because leadership begins at home, mentorship continues in society, and the nation becomes the final report card.
Let us raise children we will not need to recover later.
Let us build leaders we will not need to fear tomorrow.
Let us become mentors whose lives are loud enough without shouting.
This is the Sunday sermon from my holy pulpit.
This is the warning.
This is the truth we must confront.
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Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media. He is a family values advocate. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor
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